Social Media Monitoring Part II: Amazon Echo Dot 2

After examining the success of the "Alexa Moments" campaign it was clear that Amazon was successful in establishing a connection with their customers. The Echo and the Echo Dot products by Amazon's own account were selling in the millions. Records indicated that they were the highest selling item on Amazon.com for Black-Friday sales and became very popular during the Christmas holiday season. While the products were surly popular in terms of sales, the social media presence for them appeared to be lacking in comparison.

The Echo's Facebook followers

The Echo's Twitter followers

The company Amazon itself was far more popular on Facebook and Twitter.

Amazon's Facebook followers

Amazon's Twitter followers

With the company having a significantly larger social media presence than the Echo products you would think they might cross-advertise for it more on their own page. Instead many posts on their social network platforms appear to be advertisement for random products sold on their website as well as advertising for other ventures the company is moving into.

This advertisement appears to come off as funny and whimsical while certainly being aimed at getting a viewer's attention. If Amazon is going to increase the social media traffic for their Echo and Echo Dot products there should be a little more cross-promotion on the company's main social networking pages.

Competition

Amazon's main competition when it comes to their Echo product is also from a company molded by the internet age. Google as we all now well is by far the most trusted and recognizable search engine in the world. Like Amazon, their massive growth and wealth has given them the ability to spread into other markets far beyond their original purpose. Google's answer to the Amazon Echo is the Google Home.

  

The small and sleek Google Home functions essentially the exact same way as the Amazon Echo with it being a smart speaker that responds to the users voice to answer and do just about any task. One difference is that the "call-word" is Google rather than the Echo's Alexa. For example you'd say "Google what's the forecast?" instead of "Alexa what's the Forecast?"... very original. If you're from around here you know where there's a Dunkin' Donuts on one corner there's a Honey Dew across the street. Companies are always competing to corner the market on a particular good or service and smart speakers appear to be no different.

Google Home's Social Networking Presence

Facebook

There did not appear to be any pages dedicated purely to the Google Home by Google as there were with the Amazon Echo. Instead pages were much smaller while offering advice, answering questions, and relaying news.

Twitter

Twitter page for "Made by Google"

Twitter page for "Google Home News"

The Twitter was far more organized than the Facebook while being separated into "Made by Google" and "Google Home News". In Made by Google the page was dedicated to all of the products made by google and attracted more views. There was typical advertisement but the feel was much more to the point and refined whereas Amazon's pages were attention getting but appealing in their own way. The second page Google Home News claimed to be an unofficial page for the product presumably created by enthusiasts. Much of the information was similar to the other page except focused entirely on the Google Home as appose to any other product. After review it seemed that even with Amazon's faults they were still ahead of their competition in terms of social networking.

Google Trends

Amazon Echo (blue), Google Home (red), Alexa (yellow), Amazon Echo Dot (green)

Google Home has a noticeably greater reach than Echo or Echo Dot, but Alexa is still far and away more widespread than both. Alexa is represented in the Echo platform which indicates that the marketing of the product still remains its greatest asset than the name of the product itself.

The world comparison highlights this distinction even further with "Alexa" being recognized around the world and having a greater spread of influence. This theory also holds true for the Google Home. Although the Echo and Echo Dot products might outsell the Google Home, Google itself has a major influence globally. Although Amazon is certainly huge in its own right Google with its early internet roots and iconic use still places a step above Amazon.

Social Mention

Turning to social mention it was important to notice how the Echo compared to its competition the Google Home. Although this method is not an exact science, it proves the continuing narrative that Echo and Google Home are fairly comparable, but it is Alexa that draws the greatest attention. (all social mention data was collected on Sunday 3/12/17)  

Google Home

Amazon Echo

Alexa

While the Echo and Home were very close the phrase Alexa excelled in all categories. Amazon has hit the groundswell in a way that has created a buzz among their most recognizable feature. A simple word and relatable series of commercials gave the goundswell something to connect with and ultimately aid in sustaining the Echo/Echo Dot's success.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths: 

Viral videos, marketing, and distribution system are just a few of the more notable strengths that exist with the Echo/Echo Dot. The Alexa Moments campaign solidified the product as a widely recognized device and one that could be useful in any household. It stands out as a marketing campaign that perfectly taps into the groundswell by relying on the groundswell to power their user based commercials. The distribution system is also something that is an obvious strength for a company that is primarily known for its website that sells most products.

Weaknesses: 

The traditional social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. are significantly low in followers when compared to the pages designated to the primary company. While Amazon gets social media the pages associated to the Echo products are lacking in quality content and followers. This could be a lot to do with the size of the company itself. Amazon is a massive company and it may be stretched too thin to handle every branch, product, and outlet the best it can. The primary purpose of Amazon will always take top priority but the social media managing for one of the products it creates like the Echo could use a re-tooling. Li and Bernoff in the book state that once a company starts getting involved with social media it sets itself up for judgement by how well it maintains it. The staleness and overwhelming advertising feel to the Echo's social media pages could be a reason for a lack of followers.

Opportunities:

Take advantage of the groundswell's infatuation with Alexa/Alexa Moments campaign and build a community. Every data gathering mechanism has shown that far and away Alexa is very well known globally, even more so than the product. Amazon needs to take advantage of this by expanding their marketing into different forms of social media. A blog or forum where those that are obsessed with the Echo can share stories, post user made videos, and discuss the product in detail would be very useful for the company. Not only would this be a good outlet for the obsessed, but also assist those that have operation questions and give Amazon organic user generated feedback that they can use for improvements and future campaigns.

Threats:

The massive size of Amazon and the Echo's competition with the Google Home. You would think the massive size and established presence of Amazon as only a positive, but there are aspects of that which also make it a threat to the Echo/Echo Dot. A lot of revenue and success for Amazon already comes through different areas so the success of the company doesn't rely on the Echo or Echo Dot. If for some reason the company had to abandon the product they could still survive. Although this is far from happening due to the success of the product it is still something that could always remain a threat. Also as previously discussed in the blog the Google Home is the main competition to the Amazon Echo. A bunch of tech blogs have compared the two and they are relatively close in performance and price (except the Echo Dot which is far more affordable). Personal preference aside the Echo is slightly ahead, but a lot of that has to do with it being older than the Google Home. As technology approves and adjustments are made Amazon will need to be wary of Google to make sure that the Home doesn't overtake the Echo.

Final Thoughts

The Amazon Echo/Echo Dot has a lead over its competition, but that lead is not necessarily secure. They have done a great job at listening to their groundswell and creating a marketing campaign that has rocketed them to success. Right now though their use of social networking is coming up short and a lot of that has to do with their uninspired boring approach. Something that was as successful as the "Alexa Moments" campaign deserves a different more unique landing spot where the passion for the product can grow and aid Amazon for improving the device. Blogs, forums, and additional methods that pool enthusiasts together would be an easy first step for keeping the momentum of the Echo/Echo Dot alive. Simple and mundane advertising on social network pages dedicated to the product don't seem to draw a crowd like the short comical commercials do. A large company like Amazon may have trouble creating something as organic and unique as this again, but they can't rest on their success they need to strive to remain ahead of the Google Home. Sticking to a personal and relatable approach provided them with initial success and it would appear to be their best option going forward.